Bengtson, Jeff

It has certainly been a beautiful fall season at Lakes Magnet Middle School, but winter seems to be right around the corner. Mountain snow is in the forecast for the 1st week of November. Take this opportunity to check out your son/daughter’s clothing and make sure they are dressed appropriately as they leave the house. It tends to be awfully cold on our playground before school and during lunch. We have had a superb start to the school year and our students and staff seem to be settling in nicely. During the month of October, we had several events taking place for our parents to stay involved at Lakes. Our 6th graders had a great time at “Trail Creek” and we had an extremely successful fall sports season for our athletic teams. Hopefully by now, you have received progress reports from each of our student’s teachers letting you know how they are doing in school. These were sent out electronically on September 27th, October 18th, and again on November 10th. If you did not receive these, please give us a call and make sure we have a valid e-mail address on file, as Lakes will be utilizing electronic media to get information out in a timely fashion. If you are not signed up for Skyward Family Access, I would encourage you to do so. By having access to Skyward, you can check student grades, discipline, and attendance daily to keep up on the progress of your child. Communication is crucial to student success and we aim to provide information to you in a timely fashion. Computers are available in our library for your use to check Family Access on a regular basis. The second big event for the month of October is our annual PTSA fundraiser. Our “Lakes Card” sale is in full swing and will continue through November 16th . These cards are a great value and many local businesses have given some special deals to anyone who purchases the card. This is our one big fundraiser for the year and we could really use your help in selling as many cards as possible. We know that times are tough, but we believe there are some great values offered by purchasing this card. Most people will be able to make-up the $10 price of the card with only a few visits to our local businesses. Several parents have stopped me in the last month inquiring about Student-Led Conferences. On November 8th , ALL parents are invited to come to Lakes with their student to spend approximately thirty minutes perusing portfolios of classroom work that have been compiled throughout the first quarter. This will be an exciting opportunity to spend some quality time with your child, take a look at what your child has been doing in school, and set some goals for the remainder of the school year. Our goal at Lakes Magnet School is to have every student participate in student-led conferencing and continue to take accountability and responsibility for their learning. At Lakes, we know and understand the importance of parent involvement and hope to see each and every one of you at school with your child on November 8th. The only requirement for this night is that parents attend the conference with their student and that each student brings his/her agenda. First quarter progress reports will be available for you to pick up at Lakes when you come in for your student’s conference. You will also want to peruse our building and spend a minute or two with each of your student’s teachers.

Jeffrey A. Bengtson

Lakes Magnet Middle School Principal

-INSPIRING FUTURESRIGOR * RELEVANCE * RELATIONSHIPS

I have spent the last 20 years as an administrator in the Coeur d'Alene School District. 3 years as an assistant principal at Coeur d'ALene High, 10 years as principal at Canfield Middle, and the last 7 as Principal at Lakes. I received my Bachelors degree from the University of Idaho and my Masters degree in Education Leadership from Whitworth University.

Feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or concerns.

Lakes Middle School

The Coeur d’Alene School District complies with all applicable laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), genetic information, veteran status or disability in any educational programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance or in employment practices. The District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding compliance with this nondiscrimination policy may be directed to the Section 504 Program Coordinator or Director of Human Resources at the District Office, 1400 N. Northwood Center Ct., Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814, (208) 664-8241.